a new contribution to the solution of sex difficulties

Marie Stopes

‘Republished with a witty introduction by Australian writer Clementine Ford, [Married Love] proves remarkably timeless, revealing, as Ford writes, 'both how far we have come and how close we have remained’ on the subject of female sexuality.’

Gemma Nisbet, The Weekend West

‘In my first marriage I paid such a terrible price for sex-ignorance that I feel that knowledge gained at such a cost should be placed at the service of humanity.’ — Marie Stopes

When it was published in 1918, Marie Stopes’ Married Love became wildly popular. It was also controversial, shaking polite society with its frank advice on sex and intimacy in marriage. Today, we reissue it, with all its charm and idiosyncrasies, for a new generation of lovers.

Almost a century after it appeared in print, the book described as the world’s first sex manual still has much to offer the ingénue and the experienced, giving salient advice on matters such as how to woo a woman, how to achieve sexual pleasure, and how to keep lust alive when the socks no longer come off.

Containing correspondence from Stopes and her readers, and a new introduction by Clementine Ford, this fascinating text — written by one of the most progressive British feminists of her time — provides an insight into how many of our views have shifted, and surprisingly, how many have remained the same.

Every couple should have this book on their nightstands.

Reviews

‘Poignantly and poetically attuned to the difficulties of synchronising male and female desire … [Stopes’] plea for mutual understanding is timeless.'

Fiona Capp, Saturday Age

‘Lyrically written, balancing modesty and frankness, Stopes’s messages about sexual honesty, communication and valuing one another still hold true. Although we have come a long way since our sisters of last century, some issues in marriage are timeless’

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Marie Stopes was a British author, palaeobotanist, campaigner for women’s rights, and pioneer in the field of birth control. Stopes opened the UK’s first family-planning clinic in London on 17 March 1921, marking the start of a new era in which couples, for the first time, could reliably take control of their fertility. With her fellow family-planning pioneers around the globe, Stopes played a major role in breaking down taboos about sex, and in educating people about sexual and reproductive health.